We’ve got the permit and we’ve got the posts and crossbar
Our sign project is moving forward really well now. The overall plan is shown at the top of this newsletter–though the text and the sign part dimensions are not yet completely decided. The arched cherry plank shown is about 80″ from end to end (not including the tenons which will go through the posts). There are 2 posts, 5-1/2″ sq. x 12′ long, which we will cut down as needed to match the plans, which have been approved by the Town of Berlin. These parts have been donated by TimberHomes LLC, and we thank them along with all the other volunteers who are making this possible!
Mike Ziegler has volunteered to bring a tractor with a backhoe down from Glover–we’re working on arranging a trailer to do the transporting. This will dig the holes for the concrete footings.
Dave Cain has volunteered to paint our signs–the exact lettering has not been defined, but will be designed to be visible to cars driving by, and to show up clearly under the lights, high-output fluorescent fixtures installed under the small roof at the top.
Kurt Giavara has volunteered to be in charge of the construction–but we will need help to get the job done safely. Assembling the two posts and the crossbar, and hoisting them on top of the concrete footings, and doing that safely will require another 6 or 8 people, to help Kurt and me. Please contact me to put your name on the list to help out!

On Sept. 6th, a record amount was raised by the Contra Dance Umbrella and the Friends of the Capital City Grange Hall.

This annual “challenge fundraiser” is designed to help the Grange cover the operating expenses of the Hall, and to help fund the Hall projects organized by the FCCGH. Probably you all know that some generous supporters pledged $2,000 this year, to be matched by donations from the contra dance community. I’m pleased to report that donors to the fundraiser more than matched that!

Donations were solicited starting at the CDU dance on August 16th, and by the beginning of the ultimate event on Sept. 6th, $900 was already given. Rob Nichols was bringing in plants to give away in return for donations, and dessert makers were bringing in a huge variety of treats, both sweet and savory. Ben and Jerry’s donated big boxes of vanilla and strawberry ice cream. And the donations kept rolling in all evening, with exhortations from caller Nils Fredland, great music by the Free Raisins, and lots of good will from the dance community. During the evening, an anonymous donor even pledged to give an extra $500 if we met the “challenge” goal.

During the break, the dancers grazed on the potluck dessert treats downstairs, which were organized by Dana Dwinell-Yardley, and dropped money in the pitchers labeled for donations. A couple of us served cup after cup of Ben & Jerry’s donation, and the punch Dana made kept disappearing. Thomas Weiss organized dish-washing sinks, and lots of dancers pitched in to clean the glasses, plates and bowls–as usual, we use the Grange’s extensive supply of dishes and silverware, rather than paper products. The dessert treats ranged from tomatoes with goat cheese and olive slices, to vegan brownies, to gluten-free pumpkin bread with chocolate chips–and many more more traditional cookies, cakes and bars.

By about 10:30, Friends chair Patty Giavara, who was keeping track of donations was able to report that we had met the goal of $2,000 more in donations to add to the $2,000 previously pledged–so we also got the extra $500! The picture above shows Patty with the celebratory sign, to be placed on the “donation ladder” which had been climbed during the evening.

A bit more money was sent in in the next couple of days, so the total raised is actually $4,602!
Of this, $2,000 is being given to the Grange, which is chronically struggling to keep up with the many costs of supporting our Hall (heat, taxes, plowing and sanding, insurance and more), and the rest will help the Friends to fund the major renovation projects in the works–the basement fire egress improvements and bathroom renovations.
Thanks to everyone who donated to this fundraiser, and to everyone who helped set it up, including the donors who pledged the “Challenge” amount! As usual, the Grange survives and prospers when everyone pitches in, and this event was a great illustration!

Readers of Grange Notes will know that know that we’ve gotten the help of a very experienced HVAC technician, Bill Chidsey, who showed up at a Grange meeting at just the right time. He has proven a fount of good information and carefully considered ideas. He has now replaced the burner on the furnace , instead of us having to replace the entire furnace. He’s also installed a digital, programmable thermostat, which will warm up the building in the winter before a rental, and then turn down the heat afterward, instead of relying on our fallible memories. And we can even monitor the furnace and heat via the Wi-Fi connection! Total cost of the work was under $1,000, and should save us fuel-bills through improved burner efficiency, and better, more reliable controls.

Now that we’ve had our summer hiatus, we’ll begin our usual 1st Saturday meetings on Sept. 6th. We’ll be reviewing the busy summer of sign and furnace work, and looking ahead to the Friends basement projects, recent recipients of a grant. We’ll also be welcoming a new member with a short “initiation” ceremony.

At a special Grange meeting on Aug. 2nd, we got a report from a new member of our Grange community, Bill Chidsey, on his investigations into our heating system. Bill has 40 years of experience in HVAC (heating/ventilating/air conditioning), with a specialization in increasing energy efficiency. He has surveyed the existing furnace and burner, the ductwork and heating distribution system, and the construction and insulation levels of our Grange Hall.

We have lots of things to do to improve our heating efficiency, but we don’t have to start with a new furnace. Bill has a couple of immediate recommendations for making improvements: replace the burner (not the whole furnace) with a more modern, more efficient one (85 % compared to 76%), and install a programmable, digital thermostat. The new thermostat will automatically warm up the Hall before renters arrive, and turn it down when they leave. There will be provisions for short-term changes, but the basic schedule will be maintained–and the thermostat will never be left turned up. He expects that with these two improvements, we will save about a tank of oil every year–which is about $900 or $1000.
Over the longer term, we need to keep making improvements. We have some obvious needs, like sealing the visible gaps around the entrance doors on the south end, the older entrance. We also have less obvious needs–like improving the heating ducts that bring the heat around the building, and return the cooled off air to the furnace to be heated. We can improve overall air-sealing, and improve insulation–especially around the poured-concrete foundation. All of these will improve the efficiency of the whole building, and will reduce the size of the furnace we need–when we finally are ready to do so.

We are grateful that Bill has joined us in this effort, and have agreed to hire him to install the new burner and thermostat. He is confident that the furnace, with a new burner installed and correctly adjusted, will work for us while we make the other improvements. He started on Monday, Aug. 11th, and we’ll have a noticeably improved furnace and control system well before the heating season starts. Once again, the Grange thrives when people pitch in, and we all benefit.